Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose What species will work best in my ponds?

Yeah, it was the plan, but I kept being let down by fish farms not having the SMB.

Also, my usual fish farm told me to let the YP & PS spawn before adding predators, kind of opposite of what this forum recommends.

I just have a lot of trapping of PS for the rest of this year...

It is interesting to note that the information here turned out to be better than that you got from the Fish Farm - a common occurrance. IMO fish farms specialize in growing fish from egg to fingerling or stocker size and they are often not experts at management of those fishes once they are stocked.

I did not measure, but indeed, most of them seemed to be 5-6", only about 10 of the 50 looked to be 4", and the smaller ones were a darker color, came from a different pond/tank or something...

I doubt they sell all the previous years stock in SMB, so I may have lucked out here.

I am at 1265 young PS removed so far, it seems like the traps are harder to fill up with PS, mostly trapping shiners now.

Keep moving traps or give them a week break from trapping.

wish i had some pumpkin seeds!!

Another thing that you should consider doing in putting wings or leads in front of your traps.
Wings and leads can be various lengths depending on need.
http://www.pcsoutdoors.com/tomahawkmodel406wextensionwingsformodel406.aspx
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/people/exec_dir/on_target/2012_0102_janfeb.pdf

General Trapping Information 101.
http://limnology.wisc.edu/courses/zoo511/media/week12/Fisheries_Techniques.pdf

I discovered if I leave the minnow traps in overnight, I get like 100 shiners in each one

I am finally starting to see fathead minnows in the traps now, still no YP.

I've found that location is key. You can catch nothing or something by just moving the trap just a few feet.

Even species will change by trap location.

I trapped yesterday, gave them almost a week break.

Even with all new trapping locations, it seems like the pickens are getting slim for YOY PS.

I'm up to 1488 removed so far.

Still no sign of any YOY YP...

Ok, I have not had time to trap all summer, nor have I had time to fish. I have seen the SMB swiming in schools of 10-15 while mowing the grass a few times, they look like they are 8" or so already...

My Dad caught a perch this past week, first one ever caught. Now when I stocked them in June 2011, they were 3-4 in long. The perch my dad caught was 9 in. I assume that is a decent growth rate?

Yes it is a good growth rate.

So I went fishing for SMB today. I stocked them in late june and they were about 5" long.

I caught 2 today, both were 9" long.

It seems like they have almost doubled their size in 4 months...

So, today is April 23rd. I trapped my first YOY YP. It was 1.5" long. Does that make sense for a fish that hatched this year? I thought now was the time perch spawned? How old is this fish?

From last year. Every hatch will have fast and slow growing fish. No way to tell what that one was from a sample of one.

Well, at least I know they are spawning. I tried all last year to trap a YOY YP without success, I was thinking there was something wrong.

First Walleye was caught tonight, 15"

The Walleye were stocked May 2012, at 5" long.